Solutions in the Round -- Professional Development--Stay Calm and Ace That Interview

Introduction

From the WUSS abstract for this topic

Interviewing is a necessity for obtaining a job, but it's an area of dread for many people. Collectively, SAS users at WUSS have thousands of interviews under their belt, but you individually may only have a handful so far. Come share your experiences and get tips on how to prepare for and handle the interview process. Solutions in the Round (SITR) is a roundtable format section where attendees discuss approaches and solutions to a programming problem or SAS topic. Users from different perspectives and all experience levels are encouraged to participate.

Discussion at WUSS

Common interview mistakes:

Dress inappropriately – don’t wear perfume or cologne

Late for interview

Ill-prepared; not familiar with company interviewing with, etc.

This is a major problem – if you are interviewing with a company you should know how they came to be

Also, look into how the company is doing financially; well-funded?

Startup companies must succeed within 1 – 2 years; if the company is not rising by then it may be a yellow flag

Come out and say you don’t want to work a lot of hours, etc.

Interview Strategies:

A thorough interview can be extensive to ensure candidate possesses all of the skills that they claim to have

Consider additional skills aside from SAS programming when going into an interview

Base answers around what is appropriate for the job

Show that you are able to think in a productive environment; don’t just list off everything that you know, answer the actual questions directly

When you go on and on, it appears to a hiring manager that you don’t know the answer

Industry can be taught – it’s harder to teach someone how to behave

How can I be part of the solution? Don’t make the initial interview all about yourself